Putin: ISIS financed from 40 countries, including
G20 membersBy RT
November 16, 2015 "Information
Clearing House" - "RT"
- President Vladimir Putin says he’s shared Russian
intelligence data on Islamic State financing with his G20
colleagues: the terrorists appear to be financed from 40 countries,
including some G20 member states.
During the summit, “I provided examples based
on our data on the financing of different Islamic State (IS,
formerly ISIS/ISIL) units by private individuals. This money, as we
have established, comes from 40 countries and, there are some of the
G20 members among them,” Putin told the journalists.
Putin also spoke of the urgent need to curb the
illegal oil trade by IS.
"I’ve shown our colleagues photos taken from
space and from aircraft which clearly demonstrate the scale of the
illegal trade in oil and petroleum products," he said.
“The motorcade of refueling vehicles stretched
for dozens of kilometers, so that from a height of 4,000 to 5,000
meters they stretch beyond the horizon," Putin added, comparing
the convoy to gas and oil pipeline systems.
It’s not the right time to try and figure out
which country is more and which is less effective in the battle with
Islamic State, as now a united international effort is needed
against the terrorist group, Putin said.
Putin reiterated Russia’s readiness to support
armed opposition in Syria in its efforts to fight Islamic State.
"Some armed opposition groups consider it possible
to begin active operations against IS with Russia's support. And we
are ready to provide such support from the air. If it happens it
could become a good basis for the subsequent work on a political
settlement,” he said.
“We really need support from the US, European
nations, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran,” the president added.
Putin pointed out the change in Washington’s
stance on cooperation with Moscow in the fight against the
terrorists.
"We need to organize work specifically
concentrated on the prevention of terrorist attacks and tackling
terrorism on a global scale. We offered to cooperate [with the US]
in anti-IS efforts. Unfortunately, our American partners refused.
They just sent a written note and it says: ‘we reject your offer’,”
Putin said.
“But life is always evolving and at a very
fast pace, often teaching us lessons. And I think that now the
realization that an effective fight [against terror] can only be
staged together is coming to everybody,” the Russian leader
said.
According to Putin, first of all it should be
decided which groups in Syria can be considered terrorist
organizations and which can be attributed to an armed, but still
legitimate part of the Syrian opposition.
“Our efforts must be concentrated on the
battle with terrorist organizations.”
Putin also disagreed with Western criticism of
Russia’s actions in Syria, where the country has been carrying out a
large-scale air campaign against Islamic State and other terror
groups since September 30.
“It’s really difficult to criticize us,”
he said, adding that Russia has repeatedly asked its foreign
partners to provide data on terrorist targets in Syria.
“They’re afraid to inform us on the
territories which we shouldn’t strike, fearing that it is precisely
where we’ll strike; that we are going to cheat everybody,” the
president said.
“Apparently, their opinion of us is based on
their own concept of human decency,” he added.
Putin told the media that Russia has already
established contact with the Syrian opposition, which has asked
Moscow not carry out airstrikes in the territories it controls.
Still no conclusion on what caused Sinai plane crash
It’s too early to make conclusions about the
reasons for the crash of the Russian A321 jet over Egypt’s Sinai
Peninsula in late October, as all possible reasons are still being
considered by the investigators, Putin said.
“We know about all the possible scenarios, all
of the scenarios are being considered. The final conclusion can only
be made after the implementation and completion of the inspection,”
he stressed.
"If there was an explosion, the traces of
explosives would have remained on the liner’s cover and on the
belongings of the passengers. It’s inevitable. And we have enough
equipment and skilled, world class experts, capable of finding those
traces. Only then would it be possible to speak about the reasons
for this tragedy," the president added.
With 224 people dying in the crash, Putin said
that "it's a huge emotional pain for all of us; for all Russian
people, no matter what the cause of the crash was."